Floor panel for forming a floor covering and method for manufacturing such floor panels

ABSTRACT

A method may be provided for manufacturing a floor panel having a substrate and a top layer. The top layer may have a decorative layer that includes a digital print and a transparent or translucent wear layer. The method may involve providing the substrate with the digital print by jetting one or more inks from a set of inks using a digital inkjet printer. The ink may include a binding agent that is present in an amount below 20 percent by weight of the ink. The translucent or transparent wear layer may be laminated on top of the digital print.

This application is a continuation application of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 16/598,359 filed Oct. 10, 2019, which is acontinuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/851,210filed Dec. 21, 2017 (issued as U.S. Pat. No. 10,465,391), which is acontinuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/125,993filed Sep. 14, 2016 (issued as U.S. Pat. No. 9,885,188), which is a USNational Phase Application of International Application No.PCT/IB2015/051850 filed Mar. 13, 2015, which claims priority under 35USC 119(e) to U.S. provisional patent application No. 61/955,379 filedon Mar. 19, 2014, the entire contents of all five of which areincorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND 1. Field

This invention primarily relates to a floor panel for forming a floorcovering, as well as to a floor covering formed from such floor panels,as well as to a method for manufacturing such floor panels. Moreparticularly, it can also be applied with other panels than floorpanels, thus, for forming other coverings than floor coverings.

2. Related Art

More particularly, the invention relates to a panel, more particularly afloor panel of the type which substantially is made of syntheticmaterial and more specifically of supple or soft synthetic material.Such panel may comprise coupling parts on at least two opposite edges,said coupling parts being of the type allowing to couple two of suchpanels to each other. Floor panels which are designed in this manner areknown, amongst others, from documents US 2002/0189183 and WO2011/077311.

SUMMARY

As already stated herein above, the present invention primarily showsits advantages when being applied in floor panels which substantiallyare made of supple or soft synthetic material, or in other words, insupple panels.

By supple panels, panels are meant which, when the panels, in the caseof a rectangular panel having a width of, for example, less than 50centimeters, are clamped on one of both short sides of the panel andthereby protrude over a length of 100 centimeters and are not supported,will bend under the influence of their own weight, wherein such bendingat the height of the free end is least minimum 10 centimeters in respectto the clamped end. For this bending, a bending time of 10 seconds isrespected and wherein the panel starts from a flat horizontal position.

The present invention further shows its advantages best when beingapplied with floor panels of the type which generally is indicated bythe English term of “Resilient floor panels”. To this type of floorpanels, amongst others, belongs a vinyl panel, more particularly aso-called vinyl tile, and in particular a panel of the so-called LVTtype (“Luxury Vinyl Tile”). Herein, this mostly relates to panels ofso-called soft PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride), which usually is manufacturedof PVC in which plasticizers or the like are incorporated. Preferably,at least 12 percent by weight of plasticizer are applied in the PVC mix,wherein possible fillers, such as chalk, are not taken intoconsideration.

According to the invention, the floor panel comprises a decorative upperside. Preferably, the floor panel substantially is composed of asubstrate and a top layer. This top layer may serve, amongst others, asa decorative layer and/or wear layer. The top layer as such may alsoconsist of a plurality of layers, such as, for example, a decorativelayer and a wear layer.

According to the invention, said top layer comprises at least adecorative layer in the form of a print.

From document WO 2009/066081, it is known to provide wall-to-wallcarpeting with a decorative digital print. This print is provided on anenclosed glass fiber fleece, which is provided with an ink receptionlayer. The adherence of the transparent vinyl wear layer on the printedglass fleece may not be optimum.

Generally, the invention relates to alternative floor panels, floorcoverings and methods. In particular, the invention according topreferred embodiments aims at offering a solution to possibledelamination between a thermoplastic wear layer and a digital print, orat least at restricting the risk of delamination.

The invention is defined in the attached claims and relates to a floorpanel for forming a floor covering, wherein this floor panelsubstantially consists of synthetic material; wherein this floor panelcomprises a decorative upper side, with the characteristic that thedecorative upper side is formed at least by a decorative layer whichcomprises a digital print or consists of a digital print.

Preferably, said digital print is provided on a thermoplastic film,preferably a PVC film, and still better a PVC film of the “rigid” type,namely with less than 10% or less than 5% plasticizer, or even withoutany plasticizer. As the digital print is provided on a thermoplasticfilm, this can be incorporated in the floor panel in a sustainablemanner. Herein, a low content of plasticizer is advantageous as, with apossible heat treatment or hot press treatment thereof a betterdimensional accuracy can be maintained.

Preferably, the floor panel is a vinyl panel, more particularly aso-called vinyl tile, and in particular a panel of the so-called LVTtype (“Luxury Vinyl Tile”), also called heterogeneous vinyl tile.

Preferably, the digital print comprises digitally provided UV-based orsolvent-based inks, which preferably are pigmented. By using these inks,a heat treatment for drying the inks can be excluded, such that theprinted material is less susceptible to dimensional alterations.Moreover, the inventor has found that such ink will smear less than, forexample, water-based inks, even when no ink reception layer is applied.However, it is not excluded that the invention would be put intopractice with water-based inks, which then preferably are pigmented,too. When using water-based inks, preferably an ink reception layer isused on the material to be printed. The use of pigmented inks in generalleads to better lightfastness and a higher obtainable resolution of theprinted patterns.

Preferably, the floor panel comprises at least a translucent ortransparent wear layer, which is provided above said print. Preferably,for providing the translucent or transparent wear layer, use is made ofa primer or adhesion layer, wherein this primer or adhesion layer isprovided between said print and the wear layer, more particularly on thedigitally provided inks of the print. Herein, said primer or adhesionlayer preferably is chosen from the series consisting of polyurethanehotmelt, polyamide hotmelt, vinyl chloride vinyl acetate (VC-VAC)copolymer and water-based primer, wherein in the case of a water-basedprimer, preferably use is made of an aqueous dispersion of elastomericpolyester-polyurethane polymer. According to another possibility, forthe primer or adhesion layer use is made of a heat-sensitive 2K glue,for example, of a two-component polyurethane glue system, preferablybased on aliphatic isocyanates and an hydroxy, carboxy or aminofunctionalized polyester or polyether component.

The thermoplastic wear layer preferably relates to a transparent PVClayer which is adhered to the underlying layers of the floor panel, inparticular with the digital print, namely bonded at the mutual contactsurface, by means of a hot press treatment. This lamination of the PVClayer on the digital print can be performed, for example, at atemperature of approximately 130-170° C., and still better ofapproximately 150 to 170° C.

The inventor has found that when no primer or adhesion layer is appliedbetween the print and the transparent PVC layer, problems withdelamination may arise due to a lack of adherence between the ink andthe PVC of the transparent layer. In the case of UV-based ink, this iscaused by the presence of surface-active agents (surfactants),moisturizers (wetting agents) and silicones in the ink, and by the factthat UV ink does not melt during lamination. In the case ofsolvent-based ink and water-based ink, this is caused by a low contentof binding agents and by the fact that the solvent ink also does notmelt during lamination. Increasing the binding agent in the ink leads toan ink which is more difficult to jet by an inkjet printer, unlesscutbacks are made in the resolution of the print.

In the case that for the primer or adhesion layer, polyurethane hotmeltor polyamide hotmelt is used, this is preferably provided on theunderside of the transparent wear layer. Usually, this is thicker thanthe possible printed film and thus more resistant against the heatrequired for providing a hotmelt layer. Preferably, a thermoplastictransparent film is applied, for example, a PVC film having a thicknessof at least 150 micrometers and still better of 300 micrometers or more.From a practical point of view, such primer or adhesion layer best isapplied with one or more rollers on the transparent wear layer or thedigital print.

In the case that for the primer or adhesion layer VC-VAC (Vinylchloride-vinyl acetate) copolymer is applied, this can be provided onthe digital print, for example, on the digitally printed film, as wellas be coated on the underside of the wear layer or transparent film.Possibly, such a primer can be used which also has a hydroxy or carboxyfunctionality. In general, in respect to VC-VAC it can be noted thatthis agent is also applied as a binding agent in inks for digitalprinting, for example, in UV-based or solvent-based inks. However, thecontent of VC-VAC in digital ink is restricted. Too high a content ofVC-VAC in the ink would increase the viscosity of the ink, such that thelatter cannot be applied in the print head of inkjet printers withoutlowering the resolution. An extra quantity of binding agent or VC-VAC asa primer might also be provided by applying an extra, preferablycolorless, ink in, underneath and/or on the print, which, for example,as such consists of a CMYK color image. An ink without pigment as suchis less viscous, such that a higher content of binding agent or VC-VACcan be applied for obtaining the limiting viscosity of the respectiveprint head. For applying such ink, it is also possible to use a printhead with a larger nozzle opening in comparison to the print headsjetting the basic color inks. This cutback in respect to resolution isof less importance with colorless ink. For example, the colorless inkmight be provided by means of a so-called valve-jet.

In case that a water-based primer is used for the primer or adhesionlayer, preferably a dispersion of elastomeric polyester-polyurethanepolymer is applied, for example, with a dry matter content of 30 percentby weight or more, for example, with a dry matter content of 50 percentby weight or approximately 50 percent by weight. Such water-based primercombines a low glass transition temperature or Tg with low viscosity,such that it possibly may be jetted by means of the usual print heads ofan inkjet printer. Moreover, this printer can be activated at atemperature between 130° C. and 170° C., or better between 150 and 170°C., such that it can become active when laminating the wear layer. Theinventor has found that a coating of 10-60 grams per square meter, andstill better between 20 and 40 grams per square meter of wet weight ofthe primer, offers a good adherence. In a test with 40 grams per squaremeter wet weight and dried by hot air of 80° C., a perfect adherence wasobtained during laminating of the digital print with a transparent PVCwear layer.

Said water-based dispersion of elastomeric polyester-polyurethanepolymer can be supplemented further by a water-based polyesterdispersion with hydroxy, amino and/or carboxy functional groups, suchas, for example, by a dispersion of dimethyl amino ethanol. Suchdispersion can be added with a ratio of 1:9 to 9:1 in respect to theinitial water-based primer. The inventor has found that such composedprimer can give an extra boost to the intercoat adhesion. In order tostill further improve the adhesion between ink, primer and PVC as wellas the internal cohesion of the primer, also a percentage of isocyanatemay be added to the water-based primer. Preferably, this relates to analiphatic isocyanate. Such type is little or not susceptible toyellowing and is transparent. Preferably, 0.1 to 30 percent by weight ofisocyanate is added to the water-based primer, still better between 1and 15% or between 2 and 8%.

Further, the water-based primer possibly may also comprise anti-foamingagents, levelling agents, anti-blocking agents and/or humidifying agents(wetting agent).

Such water-based primer can be applied in different manners, forexample, by means of jetting, either with a piezo or valve print head,by means of rolling, either by means of anilox rollers or dosingrollers, or by means of slot coating.

The primer or adhesion layer, in particular in the case of VC-VACcopolymer, can be provided underneath the print as well as above theprint. Such sandwich construction leads to a superior adherence of theprint in the floor panel.

Generally, in respect to the digital printing of thermoplastic films,such as PVC films, it is also noted that the inventor has found duringhis tests that it can be assumed that the amount of binding agent in theink, more particularly in solvent-based ink and water-based ink, is thekey to success for a good lamination with the transparent PVC wearlayer. The amount of binding agent in an inkjet ink is limited onaccount of the viscosity of the ink and the jet behavior coupledthereto. Namely, increasing the concentration of binding agent withoutnegatively influencing the jet behavior is not so evident.

Thus, the present invention more in general relates to:

-   -   An ink set, for example CMYK, preferably solvent-based inks,        water-based inks or UV-based inks, wherein these inks comprise        binding agents, for example, VC-VAC copolymer or polymer        latexes, either acrylates or urethane components. Preferably,        the inks show an amount of binding agent which is as high as        possible, such that an optimum subsequent lamination with the        wear layer can be obtained with an acceptable jet behavior. An        amount of binder or binding agent of at least 2, at least 8 or        even at least 10 percent by weight of the liquid ink seems        viable. Due to the jet behavior, the amount of binding agent        preferably should be kept lower than 20 percent by weight; and        possibly    -   providing additional binder or binding agent on the ink in order        to further improve the subsequent lamination to the wear layer.

As aforementioned, possibly an inkjet print head may be applied forproviding the extra binding agent. For example, an additional fifth orsixth spot color channel in the printer may be used for jetting acolorless (pigmentless) ink with an increased concentration of binder orbinding agent. Herein, it is to be noted that the viscosity of an ink isdetermined by pigment and binder or binding agent. When omitting thepigment, thus also the amount of binding agent can be increased, namelyup to more than 8 or more than 10 percent by weight.

Further, it is also noted that the binder, as aforementioned, as suchcan be applied at a lower resolution and that printing quality or jetquality play a less important role. Thus, print heads with largernozzles are possible for this purpose. Due to the larger nozzleopenings, less problems with viscosity will arise.

Further, it is noted that by providing a decorative layer in the form ofa print, the appearance of the panel, or the appearance of thedecorative surface, can be chosen freely and can be given any desireddecorative character. For example, said decorative layer may relate to aprinted film, more particularly a printed thermoplastic film.Preferably, above the printed film there is a wear layer on the basis ofthermoplastic material, for example, on the basis of PVC or soft PVC.Applying a printed film, more particularly a printed thermoplastic film,together with a thermoplastic wear layer offers advantages in respect tothe occurrence of wear in such panels. To wit, when coupling a pluralityof such panels to each other, sometimes minor height differences mayoccur between the decorative upper sides of two coupled panels. In suchcases, the top layer is subjected to wear in particular at the edgeareas. Using a thermoplastic film and idem wear layer results inlimiting such wear, on account of the fact that it can be made somewhatcompressible, for example, as such may consist of PVC or soft PVC.

As aforementioned, the top layer preferably comprises at least atranslucent or transparent wear layer. According to a possibleembodiment, said wear layer is present in the form of a transparentthermoplastic wear layer. Preferably, said wear layer is free fromcorundum particles or other wear-resistant particles.

The top layer can be finished with a lacquer layer, which is provided asa liquid layer on said wear layer and/or decorative layer andsubsequently is solidified. Preferably, this relates to a lacquer layerwhich can be solidified by means of UV light. Preferably, a lacquerlayer is provided on top of the possible wear layer.

Preferably, the floor panel according to the invention relates to afloor panel, wherein this floor panel, or at least the substrate of thefloor panel, substantially is constructed of a thermoplastic material,preferably of a soft thermoplastic material. There are variouspossibilities for constructing such floor panel, and two possibilitiesthereof will be presented below.

According to a first and most preferred possibility, the floor panel, oranyhow at least the substrate of the floor panel, is constructed of aplurality of material layers, preferably layers of thermoplasticmaterial, more particularly of soft thermoplastic material. Thedifferent layers of thermoplastic material of the substrate possibly mayenclose between them one or more glass fiber layers, such as a glassfiber cloth or glass fiber fleece. According to the most preferredembodiment, the substrate consists of two soft PVC layers, which betweenthem enclose a glass fiber layer, preferably a glass fiber fleece orso-called “non-woven”. Preferably, these layers of the substrate furtheralso comprise fillers, such as an amount of chalk. Preferably, thepanels have a density between 1250 and 2250 kilograms per cubic meter.

According to a second possibility, the substrate of the floor panel isconstructed of a single layer of thermoplastic material, moreparticularly soft thermoplastic material. This may relate, for example,to a single layer of so-called WPC (Wood Plastic Composite).

DESCRIPTION OF NON-LIMITING EMBODIMENTS

According to a preferred embodiment, the floor panel, or anyhow at leastthe substrate of the floor panel, substantially is composed of polyvinylchloride, more particularly of soft polyvinyl chloride, namely PVCcontaining plasticizers. Preferably, use is made of PVC obtained from aPVC homopolymer of suspension quality having a K value between 50 and 80or still better between 60 and 67.

It is noted that the floor panel of the invention preferably comprises asubstrate which contains plasticizers. According to a specificembodiment, this relates to a floor panel wherein this floor panelcomprises a substrate containing plasticizers of the type DINP or DINCH,more particularly with a mass ratio of 20% to 40%, possible fillermaterial not taken into account.

According to a variant, this relates to a floor panel wherein this floorpanel is substantially free from plasticizers.

As aforementioned, the floor panel of the invention, apart from thesynthetic material, may also comprise a filler material, preferablychalk or a chalk-like material. Applying a filler material in particularserves for reducing the amount of synthetic material required and/or forrendering the panel heavier. In some cases, a heavier panel has theadvantage that the panel is more stable and/or remains better at itslocation during placement and/or after installation.

Preferably, the panel of the invention relates to a rectangular floorpanel, either oblong or square. Preferably, such floor panel is providedwith coupling parts on at least a first pair of opposite edges, whichcoupling parts are of the type allowing to couple two of such floorpanels to each other by means of a downward movement of one floor panelin respect to the other, and/or are of the type allowing to couple twoof such floor panels to each other along the respective edges by meansof a turning movement. Preferably, said coupling parts then provide fora vertical and horizontal locking. Preferably, the coupling parts aremade in one piece with the floor panel.

The present invention is particularly suited, however, not in arestrictive manner, for thin floor panels, more particularly for floorpanels having a thickness of 2 millimeters through 6 millimeters andmore particularly of 3 millimeters through 5 millimeters.

According to a possible embodiment of the present invention, the floorpanel shows the following characteristics:

-   -   the floor panel substantially is composed of, on the one hand, a        core or a substrate, wherein this core or this substrate is        constructed of material forming the basic material of the floor        panel, and, on the other hand, of a top layer, in other words, a        surface layer, which top layer as such may or may not be        composed of a plurality of layers;    -   the basic material of the floor panel, of which said core is        composed, substantially comprises soft thermoplastic material,        wherein this thermoplastic material possibly contains a filler;    -   and said top layer comprises a printed thermoplastic film and a        transparent thermoplastic wear layer, wherein said transparent        thermoplastic wear layer is thinner than 0.85 millimeters and is        free from fillers.

It is clear that the invention also relates to a floor covering which iscomposed of floor panels as described herein above.

The panel or floor panel of the invention preferably comprises at leastone reinforcement layer, preferably formed of fibers, more particularlyreinforcement fibers, such as glass fibers. The use of suchreinforcement layer, and in particular a reinforcement layer withfibers, increases the dimensional stability of the floor panels. This isof particular importance with floor panels for non-glue installation, asby the application of fibers the expansion and/or shrinkage of the panelunder the influence of the temperature differences can be reducedconsiderably. Hereby, the risk can be further minimized that the coupledfloor panels will separate from each other as a result of expansionand/or shrinkage. It is noted that the aforementioned reinforcementfibers may be present in various forms, such as also in the form of, forexample, a cloth, a fleece or a net, more particularly, for example, aglass fiber cloth or a glass fiber fleece. Preferably, seen incross-section of the panel, said fibers are applied in one or morehorizontal layers. Preferably, at least one of said layers is situatedat the height of said separate locking element. Hereby, the advantage iscreated that, seen from the point of view of connection features, thefloor panel is maintained optimally dimensionally stable on the mostcritical level, namely at the location of the locking element.

In the case that a single reinforcement layer, for example, a singlelayer with fibers, is applied, this layer preferably is situated in themiddle or approximately in the middle of the panel. In this manner, asymmetrical construction of the floor panel is obtained, which offersadvantages in respect to the stability of the floor panel. According toa particularly preferred embodiment, two or more reinforcement layersare applied, which preferably are located at a distance from each other.In the case of two reinforcement layers, these, seen in cross-section,preferably are situated on both sides of the neutral line of the floorpanel. Hereby, the advantage is obtained that bending forces can becounteracted in both directions. This is particularly advantageous withrelatively supple floor panels which substantially are made of soft PVC.

The invention further also relates to a method for manufacturing floorpanels or wall-to-wall floor coverings as described herein above,wherein this method comprises at least the following steps:

-   -   providing a print on a thermoplastic film by means of UV-based        or solvent-based inks or water-based inks, which preferably are        pigmented; preferably, a digital printing technique is applied,        preferably inkjet printing.    -   providing a transparent or translucent wear layer on said print;

characterized in that between the print and the transparent ortranslucent wear layer, a primer or adhesion layer is provided. Theprimer or adhesion layer preferably is chosen from the series consistingof polyurethane hotmelt, polyamide hotmelt, vinyl chloride vinyl acetate(VC-VAC) and water-based primer. The water-based primer may be, forexample, an aqueous dispersion of elastomeric polyester-polyurethanepolymer. As mentioned above, a percentage of isocyanate can be added tothe water-based primer for further improving the adhesion between theink, primer and PVC and for improving the internal cohesion of theprimer. It is clear that according to a variant, here, too, the alsoabove-mentioned heat-sensitive 2K glue may be applied as a primer.

It is clear that this method preferably is applied for manufacturing thefloor panels already described herein above and the preferredembodiments thereof.

According to a variant, the primers and adhesion layers of the presentinvention also can be applied with digital prints for manufacturingwall-to-wall floor coverings, such as heterogeneous vinyl floorcoverings or so-called “cushion vinyl”. In such floor coverings, also atransparent thermoplastic wear layer, for example, a PVC wear layer, isprovided on a print. It is clear that according to this variant, theprint, printing films, primers and wear layers can be applied in asimilar manner as in the floor panels already mentioned above.

Further, it is also noted that the floor panels and wall-to-wall floorcoverings preferably comprise at least the following components: asubstrate of synthetic material, preferably a PVC-containing substrate,a digitally printed thermoplastic film, such as a PVC print film, aprimer or adhesion layer, and a transparent wear layer, preferably a PVCwear layer, preferably also made as a film. Optionally, a polyurethanelacquer layer can be provided on the surface of the wear layer as well.

It is clear that according to the invention the print does notnecessarily have to be provided on a white or uniformly colored printfilm. The print can also be performed directly on the substrate,possibly with the intermediary of preparative layers, such as plastisolcoatings of a uniform, preferably white, color. According to anotherpossibility, the print may also be performed on the underside of thetransparent wear layer. Herein, this then relates to a so-called“reverse” print. Preferably, in such case a white or uniform layer orfilm is used, which, in the final floor panel or the floor covering, islocated underneath the reversely printed transparent, for example, PVClayer, such that a certain opacity is obtained. In case of a reverseprint, the primer or adhesion layer can be provided on the ink of theprint or on the underlying opaque layer, such as on an underlying whitePVC film.

Generally, it is noted that the transparent wear layer, whether nowbeing printed in reverse or not, preferably substantially consists ofPVC having a plasticizer content of 10% or less. Preferably, thisrelates to a transparent wear layer, which is applied as a film.However, it is not excluded that the PVC of the wear layer may beapplied in liquid form or as a paste, after which it is solidified orgelled on the print.

The present invention is in no way limited to the embodiments describedherein above; on the contrary, such floor panels or wall-to-wall floorcoverings and methods for manufacturing them can be realized accordingto various variants, without leaving the scope of the present invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for manufacturing a floor panel having asubstrate and a top layer, the top layer having a decorative layer thatincludes a digital print and a transparent or translucent wear layer,the method comprising: providing the substrate with the digital print byjetting one or more inks from a set of inks using a digital inkjetprinter, wherein the ink includes a binding agent that is present in anamount below 20 percent by weight of the ink; providing the translucentor transparent wear layer; and laminating the transparent or translucentwear layer on top of the digital print.
 2. The method of claim 1,wherein the binding agent comprise VC-VAC copolymer or polymer latexes,either acrylates or urethane components.
 3. The method of claim 1,wherein the binding agent is in an amount of at least 2 percent byweight of the liquid ink.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the set ofinks comprises solvent based inks, UV based inks, or water-based inks.5. The method of claim 1, wherein the inks in the set of inks comprisepigments.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of inks is CMYK. 7.The method of claim 1, wherein the digital print is performed directlyon the substrate.
 8. The method of claim 7, wherein the digital print isperformed directly with the intermediary of a preparative layer.
 9. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the digital print is performed on a film. 10.The method of claim 9, wherein the film is a white or a uniformlycolored film.
 11. The method of claim 9 wherein the film is athermoplastic film.
 12. The method of claim 11, wherein the film is aPVC film.
 13. The method of claim 12, wherein the PVC film incorporatesless than 10% of a plasticizer.
 14. The method of claim 9, comprisinglaminating the film onto the substrate.
 15. The method of claim 1,wherein the translucent or transparent wear layer is made of athermoplastic material.
 16. The method of claim 15, wherein thethermoplastic material is PVC.
 17. The method of claim 15, wherein thetranslucent or transparent wear layer has a thickness of 150 micrometersor more.
 18. The method of claim 1, comprising providing an additionalbinder or binding agent on the digital print.
 19. The method of claim18, wherein the additional binder or binding agent is the same as thebinding agent contained in the ink.
 20. The method of claim 1,comprising: providing a lacquer layer as a liquid layer on thetransparent or translucent wear layer and/or the decorative layer; andsubsequently solidifying the lacquer layer.